What used to be a no man's land, where hectares of land was idle due to previous armed conflicts and destructive mining operations, is now a nature farm and resort attracting local and foreign visitors. This is the JB Nature Farm & Resort, put up in 2012 by Engr. Woodrow "Jun" C. Escobal Jr. and his wife, Dr. Bessie Acebes-Escobal, in Brgy. Sukailang, Surigao City, province of Surigao del Norte.
A hope-filled glimpse into the once-barren field
JB Nature Farm & Resort is located in a mountainous area in one of the far-flung barangays of Surigao City. It was dubbed “no man’s land” in the 70s and 80s due to it being the site of armed conflicts between the military and New People's Army (NPA). Aside from this, the land had been unproductive for a long time due to its high mineral content and had been degraded by destructive mining operations.
This scarred past did not discourage Escobal and his wife, Dr. Bessie Acebes, from considering developing the land when they first glimpsed the place in 2003, upon the invitation of their pastor friend. Engr. Escobal shared that they immediately liked its location since it's on top of a plateau with a nice view of the surrounding mountains. "These are all abandoned and unproductive lands and at that time we did not have any idea on what to do with them. The undesirable attributes of these lands did not discourage us, instead we were excited because we felt deep inside in our hearts and minds that God is going to do something great in this place," Escobal shared.
JB Nature Farm and Resort's name sign welcoming visitors entering the area. (Woodrow Escobal Jr.)
Following their ardent interest, they were able to negotiate a 1,000 square meter lot from a barangay public land distributed by the barangay council to settling couples. Originally, they just planned to make use of the land as a family getaway during weekends and holidays, until they decided to establish their permanent family home there in 2005.
Eventually, that initial 1,000 square meter increased to 7.5 hectares by 2016, as several of their neighbors sold their own seemingly unproductive lands. However, Escobal was already set on a vision to transform these idle lands from wastelands into a wonderland.
A blooming farm founded on a blossoming love
Escobal, or "Sir Jun," as locals fondly call him, is a native of Siargao Island and is a chemical engineer by profession. He had previously worked with an international relief and development non-government organization and with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Surigao Del Norte Provincial Office as a Senior Trade and Industry Specialist (STIDS).
During his stint in NGO work, he met his wife while she was undergoing specialization training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu City. They were married in 1999 and decided to settle in Surigao City. They are blessed with two kids, a daughter named Justine and a son named Benj.
The couple's busy backgrounds did not stop them from spending time away from city life. "Since we are both nature lovers and we both love the outdoors, finding a place away from the city and being close to nature was our priority. Farming comes naturally especially for me since my parents were also farmers," Escobal shared.
Thick greeneries inside the JB Nature Farm and Resort offer visitors a relaxing view. (Woodrow Escobal Jr.)
Their exposure to farms and farm resorts during their local and international travels helped shape their perspective on the main potentials of agri-tourism. "These travels served as inspiration for us to be able to replicate what we saw in the actual setting and correlate everything with what we read in books and magazines about natural and sustainable farming. The thought of owning and managing our own nature-inspired establishment became part of our family conversations as a joke and things we dispensed as just wishful thinking," Escobal shared.
Agriculture Magazine as a catalyst for the farming venture
Since they were not agriculturists by profession, they did a lot of research when they decided to turn their "wishful thinking" into a serious business venture.
Escobal shared that the Agriculture Magazine helped in laying out the foundation of their farming business. "It was also very timely that Agriculture Magazine became available in the bookstores and newspaper stands so we always found time to buy a copy and had a pile of these magazines… in our library.
“The magazine’s articles and features on natural and organic farming and the success stories of farmers who are also from various professions or educational backgrounds inspired us to start our own natural/organic farm. Through Agriculture Magazine, we were able to visit Costales Nature Farm in 2012. After the one-day visit, I came back to Costales Nature Farm before the year ended and enrolled in a week-long intensive training on Organic Farming and EM Technology," Escobal said.
A farm finally sprouts amidst the scarred land
In 2012, they officially established their farm in Sukailang and named it JB Nature Farm & Resort. The “JB” in the farm's name was taken from the first letter of the couple's names - Jun and Bessie and that of their children’s names – Justine and Benj.
When they started, their initial goal was to simply establish a natural farm following a permaculture food forest system. "With help of internet technology, the knowledge and skills gained were strengthened and further improved through research on Permaculture principles and application techniques - which I found to be appropriate and useful in our farm’s context considering the soil and topographic condition (rolling / hilly terrain)," Escobal shared.
The front desk and pool and resort staff of JB Nature Farm and Resort. (Woodrow Escobal Jr.)
To do this, they made sure that land utilization followed the permaculture zoning guide with minimal disturbance to the terrain. They also appropriated their crops and farming techniques based on the local environmental conditions. They also expanded to raising free-range livestock, and poultry to provide not only meat, but also for the production of biomass and natural fertilizers.
"The cycle revolves around ensuring microbial elements are preserved, multiplied, and utilized as an integral component in all of our farming activities and ensuring that synthetic and harmful chemicals are absolutely out of the way," he shared.
In 2016, the farm became the first Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) in Surigao City and the province of Surigao del Norte. As an LSA, they shared their story about how they were able to transform abandoned, damaged, and unproductive land into a thriving integrated nature farm using permaculture principles and a natural farming system. They also provide training on raising free-range chicken and pigs using the naturally fermented feed.
Feeding free-range chicken is one of the fun activities that visitors can try at the farm. (Woodrow Escobal Jr.)
They also provide their visitors in-depth experiences in growing and preparing delicious meals from crops like lettuce, kale, arugula, and other salad vegetables in the lowlands. As a bonus, they also distribute planting materials for dragon fruit, passion fruit, roselle, various herbs, and forage plants (duckweed, azolla, and madre de agua, and so on).
Expanding into a farm resort
Following the workshops to equip LSA operators with knowledge, attitude, and skills in managing a Farm Tourism establishment in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), they started expanding their venture into a farm tourism site in 2017. This happened with the addition of facilities for recreation and leisure along with educational farm tours, thus the name – JB Nature Farm & Resort.
In 2018, they started operating as a Farm Resort and currently provide livelihood to 20 regular employees, 50% of which are women. They have at least 15 project-based employees for the construction of farm resort facilities, and at least 10 on-call women and youth workers doing housekeeping and food and beverage services during live-in agency events or family gatherings and other major occasions.
An open-air multi-purpose hall surrounded by trees connects visitors with nature amidst their events. (Woodrow Escobal Jr.)
As a farm resort, they have added several amenities, like an overnight lodge, wave pool, and outdoor events place, and also offer a Farm-To-Table dining experience where guests are treated to fruits and vegetables freshly harvested from the farm, according to Escobal.
In the year 2020, despite the setback the farm resort had experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was able to operate at 50% capacity as approved by DOT having complied with the protocols set for the prevention of COVID-19 infection. It was also at this time that the Farm School offering Organic Agriculture Production (OAP) NC II under Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) became operational after having complied with the requirements for Flexible and Blended Learning delivery, according to Escobal.
A typical Farm to Table breakfast served to guests visiting JB Nature Farm and Resort. (Woodrow Escobal Jr.)
They are planning to expand their learning services and venture into other sustainable tourism and farming methods, which they are very much willing to share with Caraga and the rest of the country.
Caring for people is key to a successful business venture
As a social enterprise, they really put a value on caring for locals. "We make it a point to prioritize hiring local workers. We didn’t put much emphasis on educational qualifications, except for a few very technical works, as most of the local residents have not finished high school. It’s a big sacrifice on our part as we need to be hands-on concerning the management of the farm resort operations – to be able to guide and supervise each department to perform based on agreed standards. This entails a lot of patience and being considerate of our workers’ limitations," he shared.
The growing volume of local and international tourists and learners visiting JB Nature Farm & Resort resulted in the opening up of more economic opportunities for Brgy. Sukailang. Their venture truly transformed the no man's land into a sustainable wonderland.
Photos courtesy of Engr. Woodrow "Jun" C. Escobal Jr.